


Fan mail

by withaflashoflove



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 05:39:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10074677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withaflashoflove/pseuds/withaflashoflove
Summary: Do people usually celebrate engagement anniversaries after they get married? Because Barry Allen does.





	

Iris rummages through her purse for the third time in a row. Frustratedly, she pulls out all her belongings, haphazardly tossing her half-eaten pack of thin mint cookies and her favorite shade of dark red lipstick to the bed. Her keys have to be here somewhere, it's an absolute necessity that they are. She's already dangerously close to being late today, and she refuses to let that happen.

She tosses away her phone from her hands. Quickly, Iris flips the purse upside down and watches all of its contents pour out. She searches through them with all the speed they can muster, surely making a mess on the bed and staining it with traces of makeup. 

_Wallet._

_Chocolate._

_Gum._

_Mirror._

_Makeup._

_Tampon._

_Pens._

_More pens._

_Even more pens..._

_and their caps._

_Notepads._

_Sticky notes._

Still no keys.

She huffs and throws the purse on the bed to join the rest of the mess.

The one day Barry had to be at work before her turns out to be the one day she can't find her keys.

She thinks of calling Wally to speed her to work, but it's finals week and he's distracted enough without her interfering with that.

Cisco's out of town with Cynthia and Linda's staying the week in Coast City to cover a story. 

She wonders if her dad might be able to get her the hook-up on a police escort through town, but quickly pushes away that thought, not wanting a lecture about responsibility from him. 

Iris stares at her watch again.  _8:45 am._

Her streak of being on time to work every day for the past year is in serious jeopardy if she doesn't leave the house like 3 minutes ago. At this point, her only option is Barry.

The phone she tossed aside earlier finds its way back to her hand and Iris hurriedly taps on her husband's name. He answers at the first ring.

"Hey!"

"Bear," Iris sighs with relief, "thank god you're not in a meeting."

"Nope, no meetings yet. Just Julian's incessant commentary. What's up?"

"I need you to speed me to CCPN."

"Why?" comes his voice.

"I can't find my keys anywhere!"

"Hmmm." He stalls for a few moments, and Iris taps her fingers impatiently on her thigh as she paces around the bedroom. "Did you check your purse?" Barry asks.

"Barry!"

"Sorry, sorry, don't roll your eyes," he laughs, though the eye roll is already halfway complete. "Check the kitchen counter?"

"I didn't take them out of my purse, they wouldn't be there!"

But even with the justification, Iris is already sprinting to the kitchen. They're not in her purse, which means they have to be somewhere else, and that somewhere needs to be this loft, otherwise there's no way she's getting out of here.

"You might find them," Barry reassures her.

She hears his voice, but can't make out the words. Because the second she steps into the living room, she sees Barry standing in front of her, dressed up in a fancy black suit, the phone held steady between his ear and shoulder, his left hand jingling the keys around, his right hand displaying a bouquet of white roses.

"Why!" Iris lets out an exasperated huff and throws one arm up, but a smile sneaks its way onto her lips, nonetheless, because her husband is an absolute sweetheart. One who makes her very  _very_ frustrated at times, but still a sweetheart.

"Because you have the day off," Barry grins. He tosses the keys to the dining room table, along with his phone. Slowly, he steps towards her.

Iris watches him curiously. "And why do I have the day off, Barry Allen?"

"Because," Barry extends the bouquet towards her, "it's our anniversary today."

_Shit._

She definitely did not remember this anniversary. Was it time already? She swears they just celebrated their wedding anniversary a few months back.

"Don't panic." Barry reaches her and hands her the bouquet. Iris takes them, the smell of roses calming her just a little, and she buries her nose in them momentarily, hoping it'd buy her some time to think of an explanation.

"Iris," Barry calls.

She reluctantly looks up.

"You didn't forget our wedding anniversary, don't worry."

"Okay," _phew,_ she thinks. "Then...what are we celebrating?"

"Our engagement anniversary!"

She drops her hand. Slowly, a full-blown grin comes to her face as the realization of his words hit her. And all the memories come flooding back to her, of how last year, Barry had surprised her with breakfast in bed and a trip all around the world in celebration of their engagement anniversary. Except, last year, he promised it'd be the  _last_ year it happened, saying he just wanted to indulge in newlywed stuff. But she should've expected it this year as well, knowing by now how much he likes going all out for these occasions.

"You are impossible."

"Am not." He bends down to kiss her.

"Mmm." She bites his bottom lip softly, as both hands come to wrap around his back. Iris breaks away and hugs him close, inhaling the mix of aftershave and cologne. "A fancy black suit, white roses...rose petals on the floor" - Iris stares out to the room, fully acknowledging the fact that there were indeed rose petals everywhere, a fact she definitely missed in her earlier rush - "all you're missing is the candles."

He squeezes her tight before pulling away. "Fire hazard. Didn't wanna risk it today."

Iris can't help herself as she leans up and steals another kiss from him. She thinks back to the night of their engagement, how after they talked about his proposal and she said yes, she hugged him with so much force that it threw him off balance, which set off a chain reaction, the first being his foot hitting a candle, the last being a fire extinguisher completely emptied to put out any risk of potential fire.

"Plus," he captures her lips sweetly again, "I have a surprise for you."

Iris pulls away. "You mean more than this? More than the day off and roses?"

He pauses for a few seconds. "Well...there's mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer and a tray of brownies in the fridge, but those don't really count."

 _Oh_ , she mouths, stepping out of his embrace. "You made me brownies?"

He smirks. "It's not really a celebration without brownies."

"I love you." Iris jumps into his arms again, and he picks her up and spins her around happily. Brownies were something she was craving for the past 2 weeks, something she promised she wouldn't eat much for a while, especially not after the fiasco her and Cisco had at STAR Labs not too long ago, one that involved too much sugar, too much alcohol, and way too much laughter as Barry and Caitlin stared at them with resignation. 

"I love you." Barry kisses her again as he sets her down to the ground. "Come on."

He pulls back just a little and gently nudges her towards the kitchen counter.

And as soon as she looks at the counter, the roses come crashing down to the ground, as they fall gracelessly from her hand.

Instead, both hands clench with tension.  

Iris processes the scene before her, the usual kitchen items that were on the counter long gone, only to be replaced by a giant scrapbook in the center. The photo on it is one of Iris and Barry, him in his Flash gear with his cowl on, her in his arms, both staring at each other. She thinks someone must have caught a candid shot of them that she's never seen before, one in front of CCPN. Next to the scrapbook lies a black rectangular frame that's been flipped upside down. Surrounding both is a series of headline clippings and photos she recognizes from her articles. Iris stares at the items for a few moments. "What is this?" she says breathlessly.

Barry comes over to stand behind her, both of his arms wrapping around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. He kisses her cheek. "Your present."

She extends a hand out to the scrapbook, slowly opening it to reveal the first page. Underneath the glossy covering, Iris reads, in Barry's handwriting, _To the best reporter in the world. Many more accolades to come. - your husband._  

"Barry-" The question hangs in the air.

He nudges her slightly forward, his lips once again finding her check. Barry buries his nose in her neck for a few seconds, leaving another soft kiss there as well. His hands on her waist tighten. "Read it."

"Wh-what is this?

"You just deserve to know the impact you've had on readers when it comes to believing in The Flash, Iris."

She spins fully in his arms. She doesn't have the words, so she waits for his further explanation.

"I went through your box of fan mail. I'm sorry if that's personal, but I promise, I didn't read any you hadn't shown me before. I just pulled out the ones that were sent to you about articles you'd written about...well..me, I guess."

"Barry..."

"I just wanted for it to be a special day. You've been working so hard lately at CCPN and you're nominated for a Pulitzer, and I thought maybe this would be nice as a reminder to how much you've already accomplished."

She stares at him for a little while longer. Iris detaches herself from his arms and brings her eyes back to the scrapbook on the counter. She flips it over to the second page and begins reading the first letter. This one she remembers. It was one of the first letters she'd ever received, back when she was still writing her blog, after she disclosed her identity and defied everyone by putting her name on it. The memory fills her with pride as she remembers how long it's been and how far she's come. She was an anonymous blogger five years ago and now she's nearing board recognition in journalism for an article that took her months to publish.

Iris reads the letter through, the smile never escaping her face. She tears up a little at the signature on the bottom. 

_From,_

_Someone who aspires to be like you._

She turns the page.

Iris gets through the two more pages, all while Barry's still tightly curled around her. She has to pause after that, the tears getting too much. "I need a tissue," she laughs, wiping her tears on her sleeve. 

Barry kisses the top of her head. 

"I think I'll finish the others later."

"Okay," he hums into her hair.

She turns around in his arms.

"You didn't have to do this, Bear."

"I wanted to."

She leans up to kiss him, and he holds her lips for a lingering second. When they break apart, he says, "you haven't seen your entire present yet."

"There's more?" She asks it with breathlessness, because what more could he have thought of.

"The frame," Barry says. His eyes draw an invisible line to the black frame on the counter, which Iris completely forgot about. She follows his line of vision and stares at it.

"You're gonna make me cry more, aren't you?"

"I'll wipe your tears, promise," he grins.

He kisses her again and she turns around, finally flipping the frame over.

And Iris immediately recognizes the handwriting under the glass surface, one that's a little messy and a little uneven, one that definitely belongs to a Barry Allen.

"You wrote me a letter."

She means to ask it, but it comes out like a declaration instead.

Iris picks up on the date. "Barry, you wrote this in December of 2014."

"Mhm."

"That was when I had my blog."

"Mhm," he says again.

She meets his eyes. "You hated when I wrote on that blog."

"Actually," he corrects, "I didn't hate it. I was always proud of you for it. I just wasn't supposed to encourage it."

"Because of dad?"

"Mhm."

"But...but this?" Iris breaths, facing his letter once again. "I never got this."

"I never sent it," he answers, "I wanted to. Just like I wanted to tell you I was The Flash. But I couldn't do it."

She'd made amends with him lying to her for a year about his identity. And though it always stung a little, he made things easier with time. Especially when he filled her in with everything Flash related. When he promised her he'd never keep a secret again. When he swore he only did it because he didn't want to cause a rift between her and Joe, not because he didn't trust her.

"Are you gonna read it?" Barry's voice comes on her neck again. The vibrations make her warm and she pulls his arms around her waist again, gripping his hands firm in hers.

She begins.

_To Iris West,_

_My best friend always believes in me. Even when she doesn't know she's believing in me. She helped me when I was a little kid, lost and insecure and bullied. She held my hand through school, told the bad guys to leave, ate lunch with me every day so I wouldn't feel alone. She reminded me that I wasn't crazy for seeing what I saw. That I wasn't making anything up, not for attention, not for pity, not for anything. That I was just being sincere and honest, that she saw the truth in me and she believed me. She believed in me._

_She told me I'd win first place at our elementary school science fair during 6th grade. She stayed up the night before to help me calm my nerves, and the next day, she came to the fair with me. She hated chemistry. But she saw how much I loved it. When I won that night, I pinned the ribbon to her shirt. In middle school, she did the same. Except the project became about biology. In high school, I didn't win anything my freshman year. So she stayed up the entire night with me and told me the judges were just jealous they didn't come up with the project themselves. The next year, she dressed me in a suit she picked out and held my hand during the entire evening. I won._

_I was scared of not getting into the college of my choice. She never doubted me, not for a minute, not even for a second, not even when I was going on and on about how I wasn't good enough or smart enough. She didn't buy it. Instead, she listed all the things I'd accomplished, told me to stop worrying so much, told me she'd love me the same, whether I got into our state school or whether I got into the best Ivy League school._   _When the acceptances came in, she didn't bother reading them because she already knew the results._

_Her belief alone is why I am who I am. I don't know anyone stronger than her. I don't know anyone who has more understanding and faith in the possible and impossible. I don't know anyone who's a better motivator, who's a better source of inspiration, encouragement, and hope. I love her with all of my heart. Sometimes, I wonder if she knows what she means to me. I wonder if she knows she's the light that kept and keeps the darkness away. I wonder if she knows she's the reason my heart beats so fast. I wonder if she knows I'd circle the earth a million times over to see a smile on her face. I wonder if she knows she's the science and the art in me. I wonder if she knows how much her belief has meant._

_My best friend always believes in me. I hope she knows I always believe in her. And that I'm proud of her. And that I can't fathom that even when she doesn't know it's me, that even when I'm not being entirely truthful with her, that even when I'm unworthy of her friendship, she never loses her faith in me._

_I know creating and claiming this blog hasn't been easy on you. And I know it seems like everyone, even me, is against you. And I hear you sometimes in your room, typing away on your laptop past 2 a.m. because you can't wait to write about the truth. I know how hard you work. I know your heart is in this for all the right reasons. I know your bravery is something no one can take away from you. I know this is only the start for something amazing for you. And I'll be there for you every step of the way, believing in you, just like you've done and do for me._

_Thank you for being my best friend._

_Sincerely,_

_The Scarlet Speedster._

Iris wipes away a few of the stray tears that have splashed onto the counter. She shakily smiles as she glances up and down the letter once more. And true to his word, Barry's hands are on her cheeks, wiping away the traces of water.

She exhales deeply.

"You could've warned me you were doing this today, you know," she says in a quiet, raspy voice.

"Surprises are funner."

Iris turns around to face him.

She places both hands on his neck and pulls him down to her. When their lips meet, she can feel the salt from the tears still falling, but she just licks it away, as she opens up his lips with the press of her tongue. Barry's arms tighten around her.

He rests his forehead against hers when she pulls away. 

"Why all of this, Bear?"

"Anniversary," he smiles.

"Yeah...but this?"

"I just wanted to remind you of how far you've come. And how far we've come. It is our second year being engaged after all."

She stares into his eyes, getting lost in the baby greens. His eyelashes look exceptionally long from where she's standing and she stands on her tippy toes to kiss his eyelids shut. He makes her feel so warm sometimes, so soft and vulnerable and she can't help but press her body into his, leaning against him for support, not trusting her weak knees.

"You're gonna win that Pulitzer, you know."

Iris sighs.

"Hey," he tilts her chin up. "I know you're going against some amazing people. But you worked hard on the exposing the underground network of metahumans. It took serious effort and determination. And you've helped keep so many people safe, Iris."

"You helped me," she replies.

"Always so modest."

"It's true! I couldn't have done this without you believing in me, Bear. Nor without having The Flash on my side. It kept me safe."

He pushes a lock of hair behind her ear, gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb. "It was the least I could do."

"You're my anchor."

"And you're mine."

She smiles, that crinkly-eyed smile that she keeps reserved just for him. "I think I'm gonna hang it up in my office."

"The one at CCPN or the one here?" he asks, a curious expression on his face.

"Here," she confirms, "this part of you, I like keeping all to myself."

"The Flash part of me?"

Iris shakes her head.

"The best friend part of you. My Barry Allen."

Barry grins wide. He lifts her up and carries her in his arms, walking her back to the bedroom. "I still think I should hyphenate."

Iris buries her nose into his neck, as she tightens his arms around his neck. "I'm not stopping you." Though really, she had for a while, telling him he didn't have to do it if he didn't want to, that she took his last name with hers because it was something she saw fit, and if he didn't feel the same, there was no pressure.

"It's settled then," Barry says, "tomorrow, I'll go finalize it."

"So you'll be Barry Allen-West?" she asks humorously.

"It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Before Iris can answer, she sees the stunned expression on Barry's face as they enter the bedroom.

When she looks to the bed, she sees the contents of her purse still there, reminding her of the morning she had not too long ago. Laughter overcomes her. "See this is what happens when you steal my keys."

"You...you take it out on the bed?" he asks amused.

"I was in a hurry!"

"We're gonna have to do laundry early this week."

Iris laughs. "Well" - she begins untying the tie around his neck - "if that's the case, then I suggest we get a few more things dirty."

"What're you implying?" he asks, a little breathlessly.

Iris drops from his arms. "I'm saying," she kisses him, "there's mint chocolate chip ice cream and brownies that can be put to great use today."

He's back to her before she can process he's left and she knows it'll be a day off well spent with her love.


End file.
